Hearty, savory Hamburger Macaroni Soup is filling and full of flavor and it only requires a handful of pantry staples!
If you love quick and hearty soups, you will love this Hamburger Macaroni Soup. It is delicious paired with a salad and some fresh warm Potato Rolls, or perfectly substantial on its own!
AKA Goulash SOUP
Fall is my favorite time of year for so many reasons. One of which is SOUP.
Let me be clear, the Luna family is not afraid to make soup all year long, even on a 115° day. However, cooler temps are always a wonderful excuse to cook up something warm.
One of my go-to soups is this hearty Hamburger Macaroni Soup! It’s filled with pantry staples like pasta and canned tomatoes and is SO easy to make.
Some may call this goulash, but we don’t make our regular goulash so soup-y, which is why this is more of a Macaroni Soup to us.
How to make Macaroni Soup
GROUND BEEF. In a large stock pot, add ground beef, garlic, and onion powder. Cook until the beef is no longer pink. Drain the grease.
BROTH. Add broth, cans of chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire, brown sugar (optional), ketchup, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes
PASTA. Add the dry macaroni and let cook for 15 minutes. Top with cheddar cheese, if desired, and ENJOY!
To make this in the crockpot. Ground the beef and combine all ingredients into the crockpot, minus the pasta. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Add cooked pasta about 30 minutes before serving.
Tips + Variations
Dry macaroni. Use any smaller macaroni such as elbow macaroni, shell, cavatappi, penne, farfalle, fusilli, or rotini.
Many soup recipes specify for you to cook the pasta before adding it to the soup, but this recipe is so easy that you simply add the dry noodles right into the pot to cook.
Note that you add it last and let it cook for about 15 more minutes, but the time may vary according to the type of pasta you use. Just give it a taste test to determine when it is done to your liking.
Variations:
- Veggies. Add frozen or fresh vegetables (corn, green beans, peas, carrots) to increase the nutritional value of the soup.
- Substitute. Ketchup can be replaced with 6-8oz of tomato sauce or paste.
- Healthy twist. To make this slightly healthier, use ground turkey or chicken instead of ground beef because it is less fatty.
Storing info
STORE it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days and rewarm individual servings in the microwave, and larger servings on the stove.
Make ahead of time. Prepare about 30 minutes ahead of time and let it simmer on the stove. Or pour the soup into the crockpot and put it on warm until the party starts. Just be aware that the pasta might get mushy the longer it sits in the pot.
FREEZE. Let the soup (without the pasta) cool completely and then scoop it into a freezer-safe bag. It is best to let it freeze while laying flat.
After it’s frozen, store the bags vertically to save space. It should last about 3 months in the freezer. Thaw and warm it on the stove then add cooked pasta.
Serve Hamburger Macaroni Soup with:
Any of these sides would be perfect to pair with this Macaroni Soup recipe! Sop up that goodness, or complete the meal.
For more Soup Recipes, try:
- Chicken Dumpling Soup
- Tomato Tortellini Soup
- Cheesy Potato Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Ham And Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
Hamburger Macaroni Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 58 oz beef broth
- 56 oz tomatoes chopped (2 28 oz cans)
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups dry macaroni
- garlic salt and pepper to taste as desired
- cheese if desired
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, add ground beef, garlic, and onion powder – cook until beef is no longer pink. Drain the grease.
- Add broth, cans of chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire, brown sugar (optional), ketchup, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes
- Add the dry macaroni and let cook for 15 minutes. Top with cheddar cheese, if desired, and ENJOY!
Video
Adapted from thekitchenmagpie.com
This is a lot of food for only a few people, so there will be left overs. Soup with macaroni will not keep because the pasta will absorb all the juice. Keep the pasta separately. When serving, add pasta to a bowl and fill with the soup mixture. Soup and pasta will keep in the refrigerator as long as you keep them separated. Love this recipe. Wouldn’t change a thing.
Thank you for sharing that 🙂 Glad you like it!!
We love this recipe. It tastes really good!!
Happy you do 🙂 Thank you for letting me know!
I agree. Silica was very rude. If you don’t like the recipe, don’t make it.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. My mom use to make me macaroni and tomatoes and it was one of my favorite foods. I absolutely loved it. This looks very similar except it’s got hamburger meat. It looks very good.
Thank you! I hope you try it, because it’s delish!!
Hi we call this Hangover Soup have been having since I was a child and my mom made it. Can you please explain what the brown sugar adds to the soup? It and the ketchup are the only differences and I am just curious. Thank you
It would just add a sweeter flavor. How fun that you have enjoyed this soup for years as well! It’s one of our favorites!
Nice easy recipe and went over well.
Thank you so much!
I made. this beef and and ,tomato macaroni soup a lot. it so good . it. turns out perfect every time.
Oh I’m so happy to hear that!! So glad you enjoy the soup. It’s a favorite over here too!
Recipe sounds delicious, but being a single guy I have no idea where to get “a handful of panty staples” but I’ll ask some of my women friends to see if they can help me out.
That description is just referring to some of the ingredients in the list…. meaning, they might be common pantry items you may have on hand. Ex) ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, canned tomatoes, seasonings, etc. You can just check that ingredient list and see if you have everything. If not, maybe some of your friends can lend you some too! 🙂
I have no problem with tomatoes but my daughter developed a dislike for them when she was pregnant. What else could I use to make up for the tomatoes? I always love tomatoes but afraid she will not eat it but I would love to try and my 13 year old granddaughter is picky.
Ooh this is a tricky recipe to omit tomatoes from, since the tomato makes up so much of the base of the soup. If it’s the actual pieces of tomatoes she doesn’t care for, you could blend up the diced tomatoes to make it more of a puree so there aren’t chunks (or even try using crushed tomatoes). If she doesn’t care for the tomato flavor, I’d probably recommend trying a different soup. Maybe something with more of a broth base or even a cream base. Our classic Chicken Noodle Soup still has the noodles, but no tomatoes anywhere! Here’s a link to more of our soup recipes, if that’s helpful: https://lilluna.com/category/recipes/soups-recipes/
Sounds good. I am going to use mixed vegetables as well, because it will add good color to the dish.
That’s a great idea!
Hahaha! I think you meant to write “pantry staples” not panty staples!
Though better to cook with good panties on 🙂
& I love your blog! Great recipes that are my go-to!!
Meg
Oh my goodness!! Haha! Yes, definitely meant that. Thanks for catching it. I’ll make sure to go in and update. Thanks!
Excellent, easy, very satisfying.Also gluten free!
Yes! It can be made gluten free. So glad you enjoyed the soup!
Love the flavors! Quick and easy recipe during the Winter months!
Yes, definitely! Glad you enjoyed!
Trying to figure out what the ketchup and brown sugar bring to the dish. I have never seen ketchup and tomatoes in the same dish before. I make a hamburger soup like this, but no ketchup, I use a little sprinkle of sugar and I use whole tomatoes cut or lightly run through the food processor. Di Ed tomatoes are disgusting. They process them with something that causes them not to break down. But that’s what tomatoes are supposed to do, ya know? Plus this is the worst website. Ads all over the screen so you can’t read or see what you are typing. Greedy.
Thanks for the feedback! Sounds like you’ve got a good recipe you enjoy using too. And the ads actually enable us to be able to provide free content to our readers, which I wouldn’t call greedy. 🙂 Thanks for understanding!
I was commenting on the recipe. Worcesterdhire sauce, ketchup and brown sugar are typically used as a topping for meatloaf. I wanted to know if the recipe was correct. You, on the other hand add ND are the one being sparky as you’re the one being a Karen and not contributing to the discussion. And if the ads sitting on top of the content so you can’t read it doesn’t bother you I would call you a liar. Ads that you can’t put down are unacceptable and I believe illegal. They can’t cover up more than a certain amount of the screen.
Christine, if you have nothing nice to say….keep scrolling! Why stop and be a snarky Karen?!🙄
Rude!
Is the serving size one cup?
Yes!
This recipe is so good! Delicious!
This recipe is sooo good! Perfect fall meal 😋
Mmm…my family loves this soup!! It reminds me of a hamburger helper as a soup. The noodles & meat make it super hearty!!
Another favorite soup. Simple and easy to put together!
I make similar soup with medium shell noodles, but yours uses a couple different ingredients. I added it and my kids loved the updated soup.
I use the canned diced tomatoes with green chilies to add spice to the dish!